Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara asked for, and received, permission to miss NHL games to report to the Winter Olympics in Sochi on time to be the flagbearer in the opening ceremony for Slovakia on Feb. 7. That's before other NHL players participating in the hockey competition arrive following the league shutdown and the beginning of Olympic play Feb 12.

That all resonates with Avalanche center Paul Stastny for several reasons.

"I think that's probably the biggest honor a country can bestow," Stastny said after the Avalanche's Wednesday practice at Family Sports Center.

He knows of which he speaks. Paul's father, Peter, was the flagbearer for Slovakia in the 1994 Winter Games, a year after the nation's rebirth. Peter played in two Olympics — once for Czechoslovakia and once for Slovakia. Between those two appearances, he and his wife, Darina, defected to Canada in August 1980. (A third brother, Marian, joined Peter and Anton with the Quebec Nordiques in 1981.)

Now Paul is scheduled to play in his second Olympics ... for the United States at Sochi. Thursday night's Colorado home game against Minnesota was one of six remaining for the Avalanche before the Olympic shutdown.

It was one of the underplayed tales of the 2010 Games, when so few seemed to find it remarkable that the son of a hockey Hall of Famer who played against the Americans' Miracle on Ice team at Lake Placid was representing the USA.

In its own way, that story is all-American, too. Paul was born in Quebec City when his father was playing for the Nordiques, moved to New Jersey at age 4 when his father was traded to the Devils, then at age 7 settled down in St. Louis, where Peter finished up his career and kept a home after his retirement. So that's where Paul was raised, and Peter and Darina Stastny also have a home in Slovakia, which Peter still serves as a representative in the European parliament.

At Lake Placid in 1980, the Herb Brooks-coached Americans beat Czechoslovakia 7-3 in Blue Division competition, and Peter had an assist and went on to be the Olympic tournament's second-leading scorer with seven goals and 14 points in six games.

Years later, Paul was 8 when his father carried the flag for Slovakia in the Lillehammer opening ceremony. "I didn't realize at the time how big of an honor it was," Paul said. Darina went to Lillehammer for the occasion, while Paul and his older brother, Yan, remained in St. Louis and watched with their visiting grandparents.

As time passed, with Paul graduating from high school in St. Louis and attending the University of Denver for two years before signing with the Avalanche, he remained proud of his Slovakian heritage.

"Blood-wise, I'm 100 percent Slovakian," he said. "Both my parents, all my grandparents, all my family are Slovakian, and that's my heritage. That's the culture I grew up with, the food we ate, the language we spoke at home. It's always going to be there."

He smiled and added, "But I know that for these Olympics, my dad and my family are going to be rooting for the USA only."

Because Stastny has dual U.S.-Canada citizenship, he was eligible to represent either country in international play — but once he played for one nation, that was his hockey citizenship, so to speak. Because of the abundance of Canadian talent and other circumstances, it's not surprising that his first major opportunity came after his rookie season in 2007, when he played for the U.S. in the world championships in Russia.

"To me, it was an easy decision to play for the red, white and blue," he said. He also played for the Americans' silver-medal team at Vancouver and in the worlds in 2012 and 2013, and he was the second-leading scorer in the tournament in Finland and Sweden last year.

Spotlight on Matt Cooke. Yes, the veteran winger is still around, playing in his 14th season. He's most remembered around here for his time with the Canucks, including when he fought Steve Moore in the first period of the March 8, 2004, game at Vancouver — a confrontation many thought would mean it would stop there. It didn't, as Todd Bertuzzi later would demonstrate.

NOTEBOOK

Avalanche: Semyon Varlamov will be in the Colorado net again. ... Avalanche coach Patrick Roy on Wednesday said P.A. Parenteau would be a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game, with Roy emphasizing it was because he liked the chemistry of the lineup he used at Dallas on Monday. "As a coach, you have tough decisions to make sometimes, and we're going to go with the same lineup," Roy said. ... He also said he believed Alex Tanguay, who returned from injury last week, is playing well. "He brings something so important to this team when he's playing with Paul (Stastny) and (Gabe Landeskog)," Roy said. He added he believed the Avalanche is 14-1 when that line is intact.

Wild: Earlier on this road trip, the Wild lost 3-2 in overtime at San Jose on Saturday and knocked off Anaheim 4-2 on Tuesday. ... Darcy Kuemper has played eight consecutive games in goal for the Wild, with Josh Harding out since Dec. 31 in the wake of an adjustment to his treatment for multiple sclerosis. ... The Wild is seven points behind the Avalanche in the fight for the third automatic playoff spot out of the Central Division.

MacIntyre feels Colorado is capable of making run at bowl gameCU BUFFS FALL CAMPWhen: 29 practices beginning Wednesday morning 8:30-11 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday practices are open to the media and public next week. Full Story

It didn't take long for Denver music observers to notice Plume Varia. Husband and wife Shon and Cherie Cobbs formed the band only two years ago, but after about a year they started finding themselves on best-of lists and playing the scene's top venues. Full Story